Harley Qwednesday :: More Merry Quinnsmas!

I know Christmas is over, but here's one more holiday gem from my favorite real life Harley Quinn:

So here's hoping you all had a Merry Quinnsmas, a Happy Quinnakkah, a Joyous Quinnzaa, and a Spectacular Whattevahthehell - From Toyriffic and my really honest and truly favorite real life Harley Quinn!

Random Toy Pic: Seeing Red!

Merry Quinnsmas!

I know it isn't a Wednesday but this little slice of Harley just couldn't wait.

In addition, here's my homemade nativity scene; and here's wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season!

Pomplamoose and the Richmond Book Drive

I've posted about Pomplamoose before. I heart them. Deal with it.

Pomplamoose currently has a Christmas Album that you can get just by doing a good deed! Donate a book to richmondbookdrive.com and you will get some free Pomplamoose Christmas songs!

As of December 19th people have donated over $60,000 worth of books to the Richmond Book Drive! Awesome!

Christmas songs can get, how shall I say it, repetitive. But Pomplamoose is timeless! So rest assured you will never tire of these classics when delivered by the awesome Pomplamoose. Plus you can feel good about donating a book to a school. That's what Christmas is all about, right? Well, not specifically about books and school, but about giving - so do it! Santa is watching!

Harley Qwednesday :: Domestic Goddess

I recently received an email from Harley Quinn (writing sentences like that are the best part of this gig ;) ) aka Tara Strand of Gotham Public Works about an upcoming web series she is starring in called "Harley's Handy Household Hints."

Check out the preview below:



"Harley's Handy Household Hints" - what a great concept! It looks like a ton of fun. I can't wait!

Stay tuned to Gotham Public Works at their website and on Facebook, and of course future Harley Qwednesdays, to stay up to date on when the series begins!

And huge thanks to Tara for the heads-up, and for even noticing this silly little corner of the internet of mine. You are now officially my favorite live action Harley Quinn...in the Northern Hemisphere at least.

Just don't tell Elise ;)

It's not easy being Green...Arrow

DC Universe Classics Green Arrow, from Wave 9.

Green Arrow came with a bow (with arrow attached) and four 'trick' arrows. I didn't take pics of everything because my goal here was just cool pics and not a comprehensive review or look at GA.

But as for the look of the figure and his posability etc, Green Arrow is tops! His wrists have extra articulation for bow and arrow holding, and his right hand is posed to properly grip the non-business end of his arrows. Keen.

I did get a pic of him with the boxing glove arrow because there is nothing awesomer than a boxing glove arrow. In fact at my work there is archery equipment available, and one of my goals is to do a 'proof-of-concept' test on the boxing glove arrow. I'll try to get it on video when I get around to it.

Doctor Doctor, gimme the news...

This is the Golden Age Dr. Fate from DC Universe Classics. Dr. Fate has always been a favorite character of mine, so I am glad to have him from DCUC and hope someday to complete the entire old school JSA. Sadly that won't be easy or inexpensive. Wildcat was near impossible to find in stores, and Green Lantern and Hourman are Walmart exclusives, so I can probably forget about ever seeing them at retail too. Starman has also thus far eluded me as well.

Even Dr. Fate here was tough to find, I think I only saw him once in stores. He was also released in a variant 'modern' version but I don't care about that one. Which is good because I never saw that version either.

Dr. Fate is a very basic figure but that's due to the simplicity of his Golden Age design. He looks exactly like he should.

Fate's right hand is sculpted open so he can cast spells and do whatever other things Fate does.

Dr. Fate even came with an electrically charged ankh that fits into his outstretched right hand for more mystical fun!

You Will Believe a Woman Can Fly

Similar to my weekly 'Harley Qwednesdays', over at HeroPress is a semi-regular feature called Supergirl Sundays.

The absolute highlight of today's gallery of cosplay Supergirls was this image:

I'm pretty sure this layout was part of an existing Supergirl comic, or maybe it's just so iconic that it feels like it should have been. In fact, when I first saw the thumbnail I thought maybe it was some Alex Ross-esque art and had to look at it closer to see that it is in fact a real person.

This image is absolutely beautiful. Majestic and realistic. I love it.

You can see more of this Supergirl and other character cosplay at dangerousladies on deviantArt, including this one, which again is pure brilliance:

Cosplay is fun to observe, but when someone can actually turn their cosplay into a 'story' it reaches a whole other level.

Buy stuff by me at Zazzle!

Random Toy Pic: Doomsday Attacks!

Starcrossed Hawkgirl

This Hawkgirl belongs to my daughter. I bought her the set when I found it on discount at Ross a couple months ago. It's a great set and included Hro Talak and a couple more of his Hawkworld cronies, as well as Batman I think. They're all in my daughter's superhero toy bag.

Two of my daughters first superhero toys were the original Justice League animated Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl which I gave her when she was less than 2, so getting this set for her was pretty neat for me even though her superhero collection has grown exponentially since then.

The Hawks have a pretty convoluted history. I know the original Golden Age concept, and I read Hawkworld in the nineties, and now Hawkman has been on Smallville and of course the Thanagarian version of Hawkgirl was prominent on the Justice League cartoon. I gotta admit, it's pretty tough trying to explain the Earth Hawks and the Thanagar Hawks to an eight year old - one of the many challenges to parenting in the modern world!

Buzz-Off!

I arrived home today to find on my doorstep one of the coolest MOTU Classics figures yet. Buzz-Off!

I did not have the original as a kid. Which I always felt was sort of ironic, because although I am known far and wide as 'Bubba' today, at the time I was known by all and sundry as 'Buzz.' My cousin had him though, so maybe I was content with that because we usually combined our collections for massive playtime adventures. I have of course since rectified my lack of an original Buzz-Off (who can be seen in this ridiculous video I made a couple years ago.)

But I digress.

This is the brand new MOUTC Buzz-Off, the most recent mattycollector.com sold-out-almost-immediately offering. And he is everything MOTUC can and should be.

the head/face sculpt is exactly the way Buzz-Off should look in the minds of anyone who played with the original as a kid. As is the rest of the figure for that matter.

Buzz-Off even comes with his cool bee-like aviation helmet!

Bug-eye sunglasses are in this year.

The only real difference from the original, which is a nice addition in my opinion, are an extra set of insect legs on his back ala the 200x version of Buzz-Off. A nice new detail that punches up his buggy factor without being obtrusive or off model.

Buzz-Off comes with an axe weapon like his original counterpart and a large axe staff like his 200x counterpart (not shown.) The wings and extra 'legs' are ball and hinged so they can move in all directions. A very nice touch!

Buzz-Off is truly one of the best MOTUCs to date. His design works perfectly with the updated aesthetic while maintaining all the best of the original Eternian 'Heroic Spy In The Sky.'

Now Buzz-Off!

Harley Qhursday :: Special Announcement

This is a 'Special Announcement' Harley Qhursday post. I can do that, see, because I'm in charge around here, see. Got it? Good.


Alright people, my favorite real life Harley Quinn has asked me to ask you for some help, and you're gonna help her, see? (For some reason I am writing this and hearing Edward G. Robinson in my head. Now so are you.)

Elise Archer (the subject of our first Harley '20 Question' Qwednesday) is entered in a contest at TopGeek to win a pass to the 2011 San Diego Comic Con, and she needs your votes to win! Click here and vote for her NOW!

I am asking you to do this for her. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that by winning, it will bring Elise (aka Harley Quinn) from Australia over oceans and plains, over mountains and rivers, over hill and dale, thousands and thousands of miles to the beautiful state of California.

A state that by mere chance and coincidence is also the state within which I reside.

My motives here are purely altruistic. Do not question them. Just vote for Elise. Vote now. Vote often. Ask your parents and kids and grandparents and neighbors and inmate penpals to do the same.

It's for Elise, see?

Toy Tip #368

The Tommy Gun that comes with Batman: The Brave and the Bold Solomon Grundy makes a pretty nice weapon for the Retro Action Two-Face dolly.

Harley Qwednesday :: Harley Beyond

With all the recent DC Animated direct to DVD, more mature animated films being huge hits these days, it's hard to imagine there was a time that an American animated feature couldn't cross certain lines, but that was the case a mere ten years ago with Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. It was originally edited to for content (due in large part to its release coming shortly after the Columbine shootings) and at first only the original script revealed it's edgier aspects. It was later released on DVD 'un-cut' and so if you haven't seen it at all, I suggest you go for the un-cut version. Also, if you haven't seen it Beware: Here There Be Spoilers!

But we aren't here to talk about Batman, it's Harley Qwednesday sillies, so this post is about Harley Quinn! And her spawn. Read on:

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, a direct to DVD standalone movie, first introduced a couple of Quinnesque twins known (both singularly and collectively) as 'Dee Dee.' The story goes on, and Harley appears in a flashback sequence where she apparently dies (of course no body is found) in a battle with Batgirl.

Blah blah blah lotsa story about non-Harley-individuals ensues.

Then at the end it is revealed that the Dee Dees' grandmother is Harley Quinn! She survived, and went on to breed as well! Which raises a whole lot more questions than it answers about Harley Quinn's future, but is awesome nonetheless.

I wish that someone would make Dee Dee action figures. Hell, I'd even buy a pair of Dee Dee dollies!

Batman Beyond was a great series. It was a fun, alternative and unique take on the Batman mythos that has, since it's original television airing (1999-2002) become an actual part of Batman canon (much like Harley Quinn herself) - integrating itself first into JLU animated continuity and more recently into the comic book world of Batman after the DC Universe was again split back into the multiverse over the past couple years. If you haven't seen it or Return of the Joker (or haven't seen them in a while,) I suggest you check them out!

Buy stuff by me at Zazzle!

Signs of the Beasts

Battle Beasts!

Battle Beasts were a late eighties toyline that, believe it or not, were originally created as an offshoot of Transformers.

Little anthropomorphic animal/robotic hybrid figurines, Battle Beasts were sold in the US in packs of two, each with a mystery rub sign that would reveal water, wood or fire. Kind of like a tiny figurine version of rock paper scissors. Fire obviously burns wood, and water has always been a well known fire-puter-outer. And wood, well, wood floats on water. See? Yeah, me neither. Whatever.

I had a bunch of these guys as a kid. Only one of these seven is a survivor of those times. Most of the rest have been found at garage sales or the swap meet and a couple I acquired through various trades. Battle Beasts are kind of hard to come by. They don't pop up all the time, and generally hold a decent value when someone knows what they have. Obviously condition of the figure, the rub sign still functioning, and whether or not they have their weapons determines value. None of mine have weapons and only a couple of them have functioning rub signs. But hey, I didn't spend much on any of them so I'm okay with that, and whenever I see one and I can get it for cheap I grab it!

Ironically, of all the Battle Beasts I've found in my travels, I have yet to come across any I had as a kid, which is a testament to how many different characters there were!

First up is Series 1 #14: Swiny Boar. My Swiny has a functioning rub sign and he represents water. I got this guy at a flea market a couple years back.

Next up is Series 2 #45: Slasher Seahorse. I found Slasher about 9 years ago at a garage sale. He was the first Battle Beast I had ever found since letting go of almost all of them in my youth. His rub sign no longer functions. He is the Darkness!

Next up is Series 2 #51: Bludgeoning Bulldog. Brutal name, which is pretty funny considering his tuxedo looking armor! Bludgeoning Bulldog is the lone survivor of the original Beast Battles (aka my childhood) and is therefore my favorite of all the Battle Beasts I now own. He survived not because i saved him, but because he was in the garage for all those years, eventually just ending up on one of my dad's workbench shelves. His rub sign is missing. He's a survivor, he don't need no stinkin' rub sign!

This guy is Series 1 #26: Bighorn Sheep. I think I got this guy in a trade of some sort a couple years ago. His rub sign does not work. More Darkness!

Series 2 #42: Miner Mole. I think I found this guy at a flea market too. His rub sign is wood.

Series 2 #49: Squire Squirrel. I found this guy this past weekend at the swap meet. Cost me a quarter. No rub sign, but he's otherwise in the best condition of any of my Battle Beasts thus far. Plus, he's a flying squirrel which is pretty badass.

Finally we have Series 2 #37: Wolfgang Walrus. I got this guy in a trade. His rub sign reveals water.

So there you have my meager and slowly growing Battle Beast collection. There are a couple from my childhood that I'd love to some day re-aquire, namely Crusty Crab, Webslinger Spider and Octillian Octopus. Those guys were my favorites! But I've yet to go out of my way for these guys, preferring them to just sort of find their way to me. Sometimes toy collecting is more fun that way.

Cute Invisible Woman

No, I'm not talking about my love life (haw haw haw) I am talking about this Super Hero Squad Invisible Woman:

These Super Hero Squad figures are pretty cute, and Sue Storm is pretty cute, so it stands to reason this little Invisible Woman is extra pretty cute!

She is designed to be in the early stage of turning invisible (or the late stage of turning visible,) and therefore her feet are clear plastic. Not sure if she's completely cast in clear plastic and painted over - but if so it might be fun to strip her (of her paint, pervs!) and have an all clear Invisible Woman!

I found Sue at the swap meet and bought her with a pile of some other super hero stuff my daughter was getting for herself. After I paid I asked my daughter if she wanted Ms. Storm and she said 'no, you can keep her.' So Sue is mine.

I'm not that big into Marvel or Super Hero Squad for that matter, so Sue may forever be separated from her other 3 teammates. But I'm sure she'll be fine, I already saw her making eyes at Batman.

The best things in life are free

And I submit as proof this Arco Other World two headed dragon 'Gaifand.'

I found this guy at the swap meet yesterday in a pile of non toy, totally unrelated stuff. I immediately knew what he was, and the 'Arco' and '1982' on his belly confirmed it. Wow! Other World stuff doesn't pop up all the time, especially in good condition. I of course had to have him. When I asked how much the guy said 'free.' Aw yeah!

Other World was an early eighties fantasy toy series of cheapish bendy toys, many of whom came with glow in the dark weapons. I had a few (namely the epic Froggacuda - BTW if anyone wants to trade this Gaifand for their Froggacuda I'd be willing to talk!) and I thought they were awesome!

Gaifand is supposed to have a saddle, but mine is missing. He's still a beautiful example with little play wear and all his bendy parts still bendable.

And the price was right, too!